California Wildfires
Evacuation orders and warnings are in place for residents at more than 1,000 homes in foothill and desert areas.
Nine people, including a 16-year-old boy, have been confirmed dead since lightning-caused fires started weeks ago.
California residents have developed at once mundane and apocalyptic ways to cope with the worsening climate crisis.
The last thing the president said about California's catastrophic wildfires was in mid-August, when he blamed the state for not keeping its forest floors clean.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
Between Tuesday and Wednesday, the fire exploded to six times its size and drove a path of destruction through mountainous terrain and parched foothills.
The San Francisco Bay Area was engulfed by an eerie, sepia-toned cloud of smoke and fog on Wednesday.
“CLIMATE. CHANGE. IS. REAL,” tweeted Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The unnerving milestone comes before the months when the state typically sees its worst fires, a Cal Fire official said.
The California wildfires and Hurricane Laura highlight the disparities in the Trump administration’s disaster responses.
High temperatures and the threat of lightning strikes may pose challenges later this week.